Disclaimer: I do not own the charactes, all propriety are Namco's!
Broken. That was the way she felt at that moment. So many things have happened in such a short time that her mind at some point simply stopped to process the events, and just let the things go by. She thought to have finally found a kind of balance in the messy life she had always led, but as always everything changed within few days, if not moments, leaving her lost in new realities. She should have been used by then.
It seemed like yesterday, when the raven haired man that she had tried to kill few years back came to her to offer her the toughest job she was ever asked to do: being the bodyguard of the most wanted dead or alive man on Earth. Allying with him meant gaining even more enemies than the ones who were already on her pretty crowded list! The paying was utterly insane, but she had done far less dangerous jobs that guaranteed her enough money to survive and live quite well anyways. So why accepting such a potential suicide task? Was she looking for challenges without even being aware of it? Was really her the blonde woman who signed that contract, that sealed her up to that unforseen destiny?
She sighed deeply, observing her distorted reflection in those pieces of broken glass between piles of rubble and dust clouds. How she had managed to survive such an explosion was a mystery. Probably there was really someone up there who was watching over her... Or more probably, she had been immensly lucky. The fire was almost completely extinct, probably the firemen were already there and had managed to extinguish the flames. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before anyone found her... And yet, despite the great bruises and probably some cracked ribs (nothing unbearable, she had endured much worse traumas) that would't have been an obstacle for her to run away, she couldn't find the force to get up and flee. It was as if she didn't want to. She was wanted by the police, by the men of the G Corporation, now probably also by the Mishima Zaibatsu's Tekken Force and by that tyrant of Heihachi and this should have encouraged her to move away as further as possible and get back in shape, but nothing, she couldn't stop looking her figure in those glass shards that had torn her leather catsuit and flesh. Deep bruises and numerous bloody cuts decorated her diaphanous skin, her hair was dirty with dust and all ruffled, her doll's face was an expressionless mask, like her cerulean eyes: totally empty.
In contrast to the external apathy, her mind was an erupting volcano. She had failed the mission that had been assigned to by the man who had taken from her hands what had been left to her. Although Mishima was not her last name, she had become the momentary leader of that gigantic enterprise that the Zaibatsu was. Never in life she would have imagined finding herself in such a position, yet her predecessor had been categorical in his last wills: "I trust you!" These were his words before sacrificing himself for the "greatest good" and going to self-destruct together with that demon. And so it was, she had decided to honor his last wish, taking control of the company that belonged to the most hated family in history, without knowing what to do, or what to say. She had simply reorganized the army in anticipation of an attack by the many enemies it had and attempted to stop the ongoing war. She focused mainly on one goal: to track down the previous owner of that empire that now belonged to her, even though he was considered dead. But she, in the end, had never believed it, not even for a second! She felt in her heart that he was out there, scattered somewhere, but still alive. And she would have found him again, at any cost.
Tearing her out of her thoughts was a grim crunch: she didn't even have time to raise her eyes up that some steel beams collapsed, lifting more debris and dust just a few meters from her. If she had stayed there for a longer time, she would have died buried in the rubble. She had to leave and quickly. But again, raising her eyes to the now inexistent cealing and observing the black sky filled with stars, made her once again fall into her vortex of reflections. She had failed and she never failed. Not if things depended exclusively on her, at least. In her previous life she had failed to complete the murders of those two people who had not only distorted her existence, but the whole world. Perhaps they weren't really within her reach. Then there was that occasion in which she herself had pulled back, moved by an act of mercy which she would never have thought to have, even towards her own child. But this time? She hadn't accepted Heihachi's tyranny not even for a second, not because he had deprived her of Mishima Zaibatsu's control (of which she didn't care that much), but she hadn't had no choice. That man could hold anyone in his hands. She had already accompanied him on his trip to Italy to recruit that exorcist in his ranks. She wasn't fully aware of his plans, but was nevertheless sure that she wouldn't have approved any of them. She almost regretted not having left just to find herself in a situation like that. When that old bastard had given her the order to catch his nephew, taking him away from the Violet System's custody, she could not retreat: the plan had been worked out to perfection, yet in the end the adversaries had proved to be far smarter. But would she really have been able to deliver the target to Heihachi?
Yes, because the moment she entered that room and saw the unconscious figure of the man she knew so well, lying helplessly on a bed, all her securities wavered away in an instant. Once again her sixth sense hadn't betrayed her: he was still alive, she had finally had the proof. He was not in shape, maybe seriously hurt, but still alive. He had managed to defeat Azazel and survive and it was unbelievable. However, she soon realized that his pseudo-sacrifice had turned out to be totally useless, as the angular tribal was still imprinted on his left arm, a symbol that his curse hadn't left him. She felt bad for him, he had risked his life for nothing! Of course, that evil spirit had surely been eradicated from the face of the Earth, but his soul was still hopelessly damned. She stood there motionless in front of the glass that separated her from the man who in her life had taken on a meaning and importance that no one would have ever imagined or suspected. Those crystal eyes hadn't shed tears for too many years, yet for a moment they risked to give in. However, it didn't happen, because two men bursted in from above, breaking through the roof and hurried to tie him up and lift him up into the air towards the helicopter. And what if the mission had been successful? Would she really have dared to deliver him to that ruthless being that was his grandfather? Or would she have tried to revive him and eventually convince him to escape with her? And if so, would he have been willing to still have anything to do with her?
Another crunch broke the silence, this time followed not by collapses, but by steps and male voices. Someone was coming and she would be discovered, but she still didn't move a muscle. What was her destiny now that she had no place to return, no one to report to ... Now that she knew he was still alive? What would have happened to her? And what would happen to him? Would they hurt him? Would he awaken and fight those who were holding him back? Would he give up? Would he even think of her for a moment? But once again her rational side prevailed, preventing those strange and unusual feelings from taking over. What would have happened to the world now?
"What do they hope to achieve by sheltering Jin? This could be intresting to watch.."
So, here is the first chapter. If you have played in story mode in Tekken 7 you will surely recognize the final quote: the story develops after the organized raid to capture Jin and is a transcription of Nina's thoughts after having failed the mission and having reviewed her former boss. The scene where she looks at him from behind the glass for a few seconds caught me particularly, so I had a lot of fun to imagine what was going through her mind. About the length of the chapters some will be longer than others: I have in mind a very precise scheme to follow, but every time I always think of something to add and to not "stretch" them too much I tend to break them into two parts. At the moment I've already written about 7, so you don't have to wait too long for the next one. Needless to say reviews and criticism are more than welcome, as long as thy are motivated and constructive. See you soon!